As a restaurant specializing in macaroni and cheese, S’MAC was at the top of my list when I first started planning my trip to New York City. They have several different size and mix options. All options can be served with regular, multi-grain or gluten free elbow macaroni and with or without breadcrumbs (gluten free options are more expensive). If you decide to build your own mac and cheese, you will first choose a size: nosh, major much, mongo, or partay. Then, you choose the type of cheeses you want, and finally, you can choose a mixture of meats, veggies, and herbs. They also have specially made options to choose from with toppings as varied as tomatoes, spinach, onions, bacon, sausage, cauliflower, and buffalo chicken. All gluten free options are cooked in designated pots and brought out on different plates than the gluten-filled macaroni and cheese.

I choose the nosh sized 4 cheese containing cheddar, muenster, gruyere, and pecorino. Since I didn’t make it there until dinnertime, and I hadn’t eaten since breakfast, I also choose a second option – the nosh sized cheeseburger with cheddar and American cheese along with seasoned ground beef. The 4 cheese macaroni and cheese was outstanding. Yes, it was extremely cheesy, but that’s exactly how I like it. The cheeseburger was also good, but was a little heavy tasting because of all the meat.

Gluten Free Four Cheese Macaroni & Cheese

Gluten Free Cheeseburger Macaroni & Cheese

I visited the East Village location, and it was packed with NYU students. The location is small so you may or may not be able to find a seat. I have to admit that although the food was excellent, I felt that the staff was borderline rude. We arrived around 8:30 pm on a Thursday night, and it took over 40 minutes to get my food even though the restaurant wasn’t completely full. When they finally did bring our food out, they did not include silverware and seemed upset when we went back to the counter to inquire for a fork. I don’t know if this is a regular occurrence at S’Mac or if we were there on an off night, but there are plenty of other places in the neighborhood we could have chosen.

Outside the East Village location of S’MAC

Inside S’MAC

Has anyone else had this experience? S’MAC also has a location in Murray Hill so maybe they have a friendlier group there. Either way, I think it’s worth checking out if you’re in the area for the delicious gluten free macaroni and cheese options.